Fire-escape



(NoModelJ H. B. WALBRIDGE.

FIRE ESCAPE.

Patented May 1, 1883.

W531i warm? 1 fl w N4 PETERS. Phomumo hen Washington. D. Q

I a UNrTED STATES HENRY B.. WALBRIDGE, OF BROOKLYN, NEW YORK.

PATENT 'QFFICE. i

FIRE-ESCAPE.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 276,736, dated May 1, 18 83. Application filed April 26. 1882. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern Beit known that I, HENRY B. WALBRlJJGE, a citizen of the United States, residing at Brooklyn, in the county of Kings and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Fire-Escapes; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to theannexed drawings and letters of reference marked thereon, forming a part of this my specification, in which- Figure l is a perspective view of a portion of a building with my improved fire-escape applied thereto, a portion of the flap-door of the housing represented in the figures being broken away, the view showing the escape down from its position represented in Fig. 2 and ready for use. Fig. 2 is asectional view of the fire-escape in position upon a building and ready to be brought into position for use.

The object of my invention is the production of a simple, effectual, and ready means of escape from a burning building, and which shall be so inexpensive as to warrant its general use.

D indicates the escape-basket, (Z the small wire cable, and d the pulley-block of the fireescape. One end of the cable at (or chain, as the case may be) is attached to the bottom of the basketD, asindicated,-and thence is passed up through the pulley-block d, and so on down to the basket, at the top of which itis secured, as indicated in the figures, the length of the rope being sufficient when doubled to reach from the roof a of the building B to the sidewalk in front thereof, while the pulley-block-is connected with a chain, 01 firmly secured in any manner either to the roof of the building orto a housing, H, secured to the roof and employed to protect the fire-escapefrom the weather.

When the fire-escape is in position, as indicated in Fig. 1, it is manifest that the basket can be elevated for the reception of persons escaping through the windows, and eased down to the sidewalk by a due manipulation of the rope d; and it will also be seen that, as the fire-escape is located centrally of the width of the building, the same will be within easy reach from the windows of its several stories.

In the figures, f indicates a wire or metal rope, one end of which is fastened to the outside of the building and the other end to the When the fire escape is applied within a housing, H, upon the roof the housing may have its flap-door I) held in a closed position, as indicated in Fig. 2, by a latch-bolt, which may be set free at the first pulling upon the expelling-rope f by means of a suitable attach ment to said rope; or, in order to prevent the upwardly-swinging door I) from being opened by force of wind, it may be either weighted sufficiently or held in place by springs on the inside which clasp firmly and yet do not latch; and in order to guard against ice formation preventive of due action, the door and roof of the housing H may be provided with an overhanging brim.

The state of the art in this class of inventioris shows many devices for projecting a fireescape car or basket from within a housing in or upon a building, one instance of which consists in'a basket or car secured to a chain or its equivalent passing over a pulley or wheel pivoted at or near the outer end of a crane situated in or on the upper part of a building,

the crane being swung out and the basketchain (wound ona reel) being projected so as to drop to the foot of the building by mechanism connected with the crane. said mechanism being operated by pulling a chain or wire leading down the building and accessible from the different floors and from the ground; but

by my invention many of the appliances here tofore used and liable to derangement in fireescapes are dispensed with.

What I claim as my invention, and desire t secure by Letters Patent, is-

Afire-escape permanently applied to a buildchain, a ing, and its rope or chain, with basket atceptaele, tached, held upon the building unwound, and 1 a pulley, the basket and free portion of the rope or chain 5 bodily lowered by pullingupon an auxiliary rofie connected to the fire-escape rope, said fire-escape comprising an endless rope or releasing-cord, a basket or other rem'ean's for holding it; in position, and

all substantially as herein described. 10 HENRY B. WALBRIDGE.

In presence of I CHARLES E. OTIS,

"HpQUANT IN; 

